Johnny Be Good
by ardavenport
Summary: Johnny gets a New Year's Day message from a blind date that everyone can share. Johnny and Roy, Station 51 crew, a little of Rampart.
1. Chapter 1

**JOHNNY BE GOOD**

by ardavenport

**- - - Part 1**

The door of the Station Fifty-One locker room flew open and a somewhat frazzled looking John Gage came hurrying in as Roy DeSoto pinned his badge to his uniform top.

"I know I'm late. I know, I know."

Roy checked his watch. "Almost late. You still have two minutes."

Gage already had his shirt off and pulled his undershirt over his head.

"Uh, what's. . . .?" Roy leaned to one side, trying to get a better look.

"Huh?" Gage turned to look at him, one hand holding a fresh white undershirt from his locker.

"Uh, never mind. Hurry up."

"Yeah, I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying." He struggled into the undershirt.

Roy left. Gage stripped off the rest of his clothes, grabbed fresh ones from his locker and climbed into them. His fingers fumbled on the buttons of his blue uniform top, the zipper of his pants, his name tag, fireman's badge. Shoes, laces sloppily tied.

Tucking the tails of his shirt into his pants, he hurried out, almost tripping on a shoelace as he came around the Engine. Standing before his men, Captain Stanley only glanced up at him before looking back down at his clipboard.

"Nice of you to join us, Gage."

"Hi Cap." He brushed his uncombed hair back, but got no response from any of the others.

Stanley began his list. "Well, it looks like everyone here had a happy new year last night." The C shift had answered to three rubbish fires, two dumpsters, an early morning traffic accident and a run to a loud party about a very loud drunk with a bleeding ulcer. And that was just what happened after ten o'clock at night.

As the captain went through his morning list, and the adrenalin rush wore off from nearly being late to work, Gage started to sag from the lack of food and especially lack of coffee. After that, they went through the usual morning routine, checking out the engine, squad, the equipment, the biophone. Roy had already talked to Dwyer from C shift. There were no issues with the squad and they had replenished the drug and trauma box supplies after the traffic accident.

"Looks like you had a late night."

Gage's head snapped up at the sound of Roy's voice.

"Yeah, I guess." He closed the drug box and put it away.

"I thought you didn't have a date for New Year's."

"I didn't." He closed the compartment door on the side of the squad. "But Laverne was having a party and she had a friend who needed a date."

"Your neighbor."

"Yeah. You met her."

"Yeah, I met her." Roy nodded.

"And it was just down the hall from my place. . . . "

"You got stuck with a blind date." DeSoto climbed down from the back of the squad where he was checking the air bottles.

"Yeah, stuck is the right word for it. She's a part-time waitress where Laverne works. Going to school in art or advertising or something like that. She wore glasses and had hairy legs and hardly said two words that anyone could understood."

Finishing with the squad, they could smell coffee as they entered the dayroom.

"So, the date didn't go well. How about the party?" They both went to the kitchen end of the room and poured cups for themselves.

"Gage had a bad date? Sounds like business as usual." Chet Kelly was already sitting with the others at the kitchen table with his cup.

"Oh, shut up, Chet." Johnny took a welcome sip of morning coffee. "Anyway, the party was fine."

"Was Edgar there?" Roy sipped from his own coffee mug.

"Well, yeah. He's Laverne's boyfriend."

"And they weren't fighting?"

"They don't always fight. It was just that one time when you were over."

"Oh, it was just that one time." But the slight tone of sarcasm went over Gage's head. "So, if the party was fine and the date was a bust, what happened?"

"Oh, I don't know." Gage went to the table and slouched down into a chair with his coffee. "Laverne's sister made this weird, hot spiced wine punch. Glug or glurg, or something. And I only had one . . . "

"Glogg?" Chet grinned knowingly. "It wasn't an old Swedish tradition was it?"

Johnny thought for a minute, leaning over the laminated white table top with his coffee. "Yeah!" He leaned forward. "Yeah, that's what she said. What was it?"

Kelly shook his head slowly. "Oh, you were out of your depth, Gage. I ran into that stuff when I was in the army."

"I only had one!"

"Well, they probably put a lot of whiskey in it. Or brandy. Or both, since it was New Year's."

Gage sat back. "Whiskey? There was whiskey in it?"

"When it's made in the old Swedish tradition, yeah." Both Lopez and Stoker, sitting at the table with their own mugs, looked from Chet to Gage who scratched his head.

"I didn't taste any whiskey in it."

Grinning, Kelly leaned forward over the table. "Well, you just can't handle your fire water, Gage. Three beers puts you under the table."

Johnny sneered back at him, but he didn't deny the statement, either.

"You have been working those extra shifts for the other guys." Roy reminded his partner of the overtime he had been picking up over the holidays, when many firefighters with families wanted to trade days off. "You were probably just tired."

Chet didn't believe that one. "Oh, he wasn't tired. Gage just can't drink."

"Well, you can have it." Johnny glared petulantly. "We all know how well the Irish do with alcohol."

"So, you had too much at the party last night and that's why you were almost late this morning." Roy butted in before the discussion could degenerate any further.

"I just had one!" Johnny used both hands for emphasis. "And that wasn't why I was almost late anyway. I was almost late because I didn't hear the alarm this morning."

Everyone at the table looked at him. Even Captain Stanley looked up from the log book and took a sip of coffee. Roy voiced the obvious question.

"Why didn't you hear the alarm?"

Johnny's shoulders dropped.

"I didn't hear the alarm this morning because . . . . I woke up on Laverne's couch. I had just enough time to grab my things and get here." He mumbled the last part into his coffee.

"Grab your things?" Kelly's eyes lit up. "Gage, you were naked? On Laverne's couch?"

"I was not! I still. . . . had on my underwear."

Lopez grinned broadly. "Must've been a great party."

"I don't know! I don't remember what happened! I don't even remember getting to midnight." He looked down unhappily and then up at his partner, who an 'Ah ha' expression on his face.

"What?"

His thoughts interrupted, Roy looked at him. "Oh, nothing. It's just. . . . .well, if you had your shirt off I guess that's how you got that mark on your back from."

Gage sat up straight, his hand automatically going to his back. He didn't feel anything.

"What? What mark?"

"I don't know. I just caught a glimpse of it back there, but you turned around."

Gage kept touching his back. He still didn't feel anything.

"Well, lets have a look."

Gage gave Kelly a cross look. But now he really wanted to know what Roy had seen. Laverne wouldn't have done anything bad, he was sure of that. Would she? He got up and turned his back to Roy and pulled his shirt up. But Kelly, Lopez and Stoker came around to see anyway.

DeSoto commented first. "Oh look at that."

"That's a work of art."

"That's really good."

"What?" Gage tried to look over his shoulder but Roy pulled his shirt up even higher.

"Hey didn't you say your date was some kind of art student?"

"Yeah." He tried looking over his other shoulder.

"She's pretty good." Lopez sounded impressed.

"So, what have you got there?" Captain Stanley had gotten up to have a look.

"Wait there's more up here." Kelly tugged his shirt up so high he had to raise his arms.

"Hey!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"That's a real work of art."

"Oh and look down here." Lopez poked a finger on his middle.

"Ha!"

"Oooooooh, man. Look at that."

"There's more down here." Kelly let go of his shirt and pulled down sharply on his pants.

"Hey!"

The burst of laughter from the men behind him was finally too much and Gage shook himself free. Turning around, he saw five men nearly paralyzed with laughter. Even Captain Stanley. That had to be bad.

"What?!"

Roy opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Johnny held his hands up, a beckoning gesture, but Roy still couldn't manage to speak.

"Gage," Kelly grabbed his arm and patted his back as he forced the words out between laughs, "that was the best date you ever had."

Aghast, he just stood there. Stanley seemed to recover his composure first though his wide grin was fairly disturbing.

"It's really hard to describe."

Stoker, also grinning, agreed. "Really hard."

"What?! What's back there?"

He felt his back again, but no one seemed willing to say what was there. Finally, he decided to go look for himself.

He got two steps in the direction of the locker room before the station alarm sounded.

Oooooooeeeeeeee-mmmmaaaaahhhh - BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

"Station Fifty-One. Man locked in bathroom. Seven Thirty-Two Ocean Bluff. Time out, eight forty-five."

**- - - End Part 1**


	2. Chapter 2

**JOHNNY BE GOOD**

by ardavenport

**- - - Part 2**

Five firefighters hurried to their vehicles in the bright central garage.

"Station Fifty-One, Kay-Em-Gee-Three-Six-Five." Captain Stanley finished writing down the address on two pieces of paper. He passed one to DeSoto in the squad as he jogged to the engine and swung up into his seat next to Stoker.

Squad and engine accelerated out of the station.

Johnny Gage briefly rubbed his lower back and then adjusted the strap on his helmet. The problem back there would have to hold until the after the run. He looked at the address. Ocean Bluff. He knew where that was. Which meant that Roy knew where it was.

New Year's Day, there was virtually no traffic. They sped down wide main streets, past industrial building and businesses to more residential cross streets until they got to Ocean Bluff. Roy turned the squad left, siren blaring and the red fire engine followed.

Seven Thirty-Two Ocean Bluff had half-a-dozen cars parked in front, so both squad and engine stopped in the street. While Stoker stayed with the engine, three firemen in turn-out coats and helmets and the two paramedics in dark blue jackets and helmets went up the walkway. Captain Stanley led them to the door and pounded on it.

"Fire Department!"

Something thumped and bumped inside before a lock clicked and the door opened part way. A woman in an ivory terry-towel robe peered out.

"Fire Department, Ma'am. Did you call?"

She opened the door a little wider, blocked it with her body and spoke in a very loud whisper. "Oh yes! It's in the back. But please! Could you be quiet? People still aren't up yet."

Stanley looked back at his men, but said nothing about the odd request. Stanley and DeSoto entered first.

Sniff, sniff.

"Ma'am have you had a fire in here?"

"Shhhhhhh!" She held up her hands to hash Stanley. "Yes, but it was a little one. We put it out."

Stanley lowered his voice. "Well, Ma'am we had a call that a man needed help here."

"Yes, yes. It's George. He's locked himself in the bathroom and I think he's sick. He won't answer and there isn't a window."

"Well, Ma'am can you show us where it is?" Stanley leaned closer. She was short and petite, maybe early thirties with short, messy brown hair and no make-up on her pale face.

"Yes, yes. But please, quietly."

Stanley turned back to his men. "DeSoto, you come with me. You three stay here." He waved toward Gage, Lopez and Kelly.

The woman led them over plush ivory carpeting past a living room festooned with the leavings of a party, bottles, cups, plates, colored streamers, a few un-popped balloons on the floor along with at least three people laying on couches and chairs. They entered a shadowed narrow hallway past a couple doors and pictures. At the end, to the right was a spacious dining area littered with more party mess and a green garden hose that snaked through a kitchen door left ajar. They turned left to another hallway.

"Holy smokes!"

The entire back wall of the hallway was black, floor to ceiling.

"Ssssssshhhhhhh!"

"Ma'am." Stanley put his hand on her arm to point her toward the damage. And he did not keep his voice down. "That's not a little fire. That's gone up to ceiling and if it's gotten behind the wall or up in your attic, it could still be smoldering."

"Who's making all that noise out there?" A loud male voice sounded from behind a door that they had just passed.

"Oh no! They put it out." She pointed. "The bathroom is the second door on the left."

"DeSoto, go check it out." Stanley waved him on before turning back to the woman. "Ma'am, I don't think you understand - - - "

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! "George! George! This is the Fire Department!" WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! "Can you hear me in there, George?"

" - - - if the fire is still smoldering in your attic it can re-ignite and burn the whole house down."

"Sssshhhhh! Oh no. They put it out. They used the garden hose."

"Uh, Cap I can hear someone moving around in there, but he's not answering."

"Can you kick it in?"

"I don't know. This door feels pretty solid and this hallway's pretty narrow."

"Okay." Ignoring the shushing woman beside him, Stanley looked up and down the hallway and then spotted what he was looking for almost overhead. "Kelly, get in here!"

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

"Yeah, Cap?"

"Get a ladder for this." He pointed up at the ceiling access to the attic. "I want some axes, a pry bar. Tell Stoker to get a hose out and call in a smouldering house fire."

"Right away, Cap."

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

"What's going on around here." A man emerged from a door in the front hallway. Well over six feet tall, he was in his thirties with premature baldness with long hair on one side, his unkempt comb-over. He wore a pair of purple terry-cloth shorts, a thick ivory robe that matched the woman's and white slippers. "Who are you people? Linda did you call these people?"

"George is stuck in the bathroom, Frank."

"Well, good! At least he made it to bathroom to throw up in this time. Just leave him! He'll come out on his own when he's good and ready. Now all of you clear out!" He had a loud, booming voice and there were answering moans from the living room.

Stanley walked up to him. Frank was almost a head taller and a bit broader than the thin fire captain. "Sir, you've got a lot of fire damage in here and it could be smoldering up in your attic. Now we need to take a look."

"We put that fire out hours ago! If you people need something to do you can do it at someone else's house."

Common sense having failed, Stanley resorted to the practical. "All right Sir. But if you send us away, your insurance company is not going to pay for any of this damage. And if your house burns down, we're going to have to come back anyway."

Obviously not believing anything but the part about the insurance company, Frank backed down with a few grumbles about men in uniform thinking they could push people around in their own homes. This appeared to be as much consent as he was willing to give, but it was enough.

Lopez, Kelly and Gage came back with the axes, pry bar and ladder. DeSoto took the pry bar while Lopez and Kelly set up the ladder. A small puff of smoke came out when the top of the ladder pushed the ceiling access cover out of the way and the burning smell of the house increased.

Eeerrrrchhhh. Eeeerrrrchhhh. Thuuuunkk.

DeSoto popped the bathroom door open. "George? George?"

Kelly climbed while Lopez held the ladder steady. "Yeah, Cap, there's a lot of smoke up here." He pulled his head and shoulder down from the opening and coughed.

"All right, Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Frank gave Stanley an evil glare, but he grabbed Linda and hustled her out ahead of him.

"Kelly get the hose. Lopez take that wall. Gage, get these people out of here."

"Right away, Cap."

"Aaaah!" A man in a soiled green suit - - presumably George - - stumbled past with DeSoto trying to catch up behind him.

Shaking his head Stanley started pounding on and opening doors.

Linen Closet.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

"Fire Department!" Small room full of boxes and dusty exercise equipment.

THUNK! THUNK!

More smoke puffed out from the hole Lopez made in the back wall.

There was a startled woman's shriek from the front of the house.

"Everything going all right over there, Gage?!"

"Yeah, Cap!"

The last door opened into a bedroom with a big waterbed with three people in it.

"Aaaaiihhh!" A blond woman stared back, clutching blankets to her chest.

"Fire Department. I have to ask you people to evacuate the building." There was a pile of coats on a chair and Stanley tossed them at the people. A man's head popped up from the between the bed and the wall. Stanley threw a coat at him.

"Come on people, move!" This seemed to galvanize them into getting up and Stanley hustled them out and past the ladder where Kelly dragged the fire hose up the ladder.

Stanley went through the dining room and into the kitchen. Potato chips crunched under his boots. Two more people, a man and woman in bathrobes, looked up from a table full of champagne bottles and glasses.

"Okay, people, Fire Department, we need to evacuate the premises!"

The man gave him a bleary, bloodshot stare. "Did you mean us?"

"Yes. We need everyone out of the building, please." They started to clumsily rise. "Use the back door here." He got them outside and through a rear gate toward the front of the house. When he was sure that they were going in the right direction he went back inside to finish searching the house, but other than an orange tabby cat that bolted for the open front door as soon as it could get past him, he didn't find anyone else.

Back in the house, water dripped from the ceiling while Kelly and Lopez hosed down the wall. Out in front, Gage and DeSoto placated the dozen or so people rousted out of bed.

**- - - End Part 2**


	3. Chapter 3

**JOHNNY BE GOOD**

by ardavenport

**- - - Part 3**

George, the person who Linda originally called about, was terrified of fire and had actually had a panic attack and locked himself in the bathroom. Nobody had anything more serious than a bad hangover. Frank, the homeowner, complained loudly about all the water damage. Others complained about the cold and standing around in bare feet and needing to use the bathroom. But about half of them just meekly waited, wrapped in colored blankets and robes and stood out of the way.

Captain Stanley came out and took more abuse from Frank and gave him his name and station number (even though it was written in huge lettering on their helmets). Frank seemed to inspire a whole chorus of complaining which they listened to while Marco and Kelly finished up. They'd been out for about an hour before they were finished and Stanley radioed in that they were available.

Roy started the squad engine.

Johnny sat back as the squad moved off and put his fire helmet back behind his seat.

"Man that must've been some wild party last night."

"Well, it was New Year's."

"Yeah, but still; it must've been a real rude awakening to have the Cap barging in on them."

Roy smiled. "Not any more than waking up on someone else's couch."

The humor left Johnny's face and his hand went to his lower back.

"Oh man. . . . . . Roy, what the heck is back there?" He turned pleading eyes to his partner.

Roy looked back at him. Then back at the road. "Uh. . . ." He looked back at Johnny. Then back at the road.

"Oh come on, Roy. Everyone else in the station has seen it except me; I'm the last to know."

"Well, you've got a point there."

"Yeah!"

He thought a moment. "Well, she drew a big wreath in the middle of your back with green and black and red pens."

"A wreath."

"Yeah, like a Christmas wreath with pine leaves branches and bells and flowers. It was really nice. It had a lot of detail."

Johnny thought a moment. That didn't sound that bad. "Well, was that it?"

"Uh, no. There was some writing."

That sounded bad.

"Well, what did it say?"

"Well, there were a few things."

"And?"

"Well . . . . . first it had in big letters in the middle of the wreath, 'Johnny Be Good'.

Gage wrinkled his nose. "Was that it?"

"Oh no. There was more." He gripped the steering wheel. "There was a sort of banner on top that said, um, 'Guys who pass out shouldn't be too picky.'

Slouching, Johnny moaned. "Great." He looked around at the sunlit empty streets going by. "And that's what they guys were laughing about."

Roy didn't speak right away. "Well. . . . . no. That wasn't the worst of it."

Gage sat up straight againi. "No?" He put his hand to his lower back, remembering that his pants had been pulled down. "What else is there?"

Roy winced.

"Roy!"

"There some other banners under the wreath, too. The top one said something like, 'Laverne knows my number if you want a date with a REAL woman. The 'REAL' was capitalized and underlined.'

Gage looked back in tight-lipped offense. "And?"

"The next one said, 'I'm sure you have a great personality.'"

Roy stared forward at the four-lane street while his partner stared at him.

"And?"

"And well . . . . the bottom banner said, 'Where No Woman Has Gone Before.'"

He opened his mouth in shock. "Are you serious?" He stared forward and felt his lower back as if he could read the lettering with his hand through his clothes. "And the guys saw _that_?" He moaned.

Roy could think of no consolation for his partner that wouldn't make it worse. He made the turn onto 223rd back to the station. Johnny glumly watched the familiar industrial landmarks go by.

"Well, was there any more?"

"More?" Roy looked back and forth between the street and his partner. 'You want more?"

"No. I don't _want_ more. I just want to know if there _is_ more."

"Well, I don't know. I already saw more than I needed to."

Roy slowed down as they approached the station. With so little traffic on the street it was easy to back both squad and fire engine into the station apparatus bay. Johnny was up and out of the squad before the other guys could climb down. Roy got out at a more leisurely pace and went into the dayroom with the others. His morning coffee had gone cold, so he went to dump it and plug the coffee pot back in. It would be strong, but that was standard for a fire station.

"So, where's 'Johnny Be Good' gone to?" Kelly just slid into his seat and started sipping cold coffee.

"Inspecting the damage."

Lopez grinned as he dumped his cold coffee in the sink. "That's an awful lot of damage to inspect." Then he grimaced at the coffee pot. "Ugh, that's going to be nasty. Kelly made it too strong to begin with."

"Well, you want to make a fresh pot?"

Lopez shrugged. "Sure."

Leaving him to it, DeSoto went back to the table and took the seat next to Stanley who had gone back to his paperwork. He sat quietly not thinking, decompressing after a run. He didn't have long.

"Roy!"

Stanley didn't bother looking, but everyone else perked up. Except Roy, who stayed frozen in his seat.

"Roy! Can you come out here?"

Stanley glanced up. "Maybe you should go see what he wants."

"I don't want to think about it." But DeSoto wearily pushed his chair back and got up. Gage was waiting just outside in the apparatus bay.

"Roy, come on. I need your help." Gage spoke in a loud whisper and after darting around to make sure no one else had come out of the dayroom, he beckoned Roy to the opposite side of the bay.

"What?"

"I need you to take a look at this."

Roy stopped. "I've already seen it."

"No, I looked and there's something else there, but I can't get a good look at it."

"What? You want me to look?" He started to turn around. Gage blocked him.

"No wait. There's something else down there and the mirrors in the locker room are too high and I can't see it."

"So you want me to look for you?! I've already enough."

"Well, I haven't seen it at all! Roy, I've got to know what's back there. I need your help." Gage looked stricken. DeSoto relented though he was positive this was a very bad idea.

They went to the locker room. Standing by the row of sinks, Johnny took off his shirt and undershirt and turned his back. Roy stepped back about ten feet.

"Okay, what do you see?"

"I told you back in the squad. A big wreath with 'Johnny Be Good' in the middle and 'Guys who pass out after the first drink shouldn't be too picky.'"

"Not that! Under it." He looked over his shoulder. "What're you doing back there?"

Roy held his hand out in a 'stop' gesture. "I can see you just fine from here." He dropped his arm. "And it says, 'Laverne has my number if you want a date with a REAL woman.' And 'I'm sure you have a nice personality.' under that."

"Okay." Just as Roy feared he would, Johnny unfastened his pants and pulled them down. "Now what do you see?"

Roy closed his eyes, covered them and turned his head. "I told you back in the squad. Where No Woman Has Gone Before."

"Roy, I'm serious! Would you look!"

He opened his fingers a crack and then turned his head back toward his partner.

"Oh, well, there is a little more."

"And??"

"Well, it sort of looks like she's drawn two smiley faces. One on each cheek. Except the smileys have their mouths tuned down. So, I guess you'd have to call them frownie faces."

The sudden laughter from the guys hiding just outside the door alerted them both to their very unwanted presence. For one horrible second, Roy thought that Johnny was going to run after them naked. Or trip and fall with his pants tangling up his ankles. But he pulled them up and fastened them and even put his undershirt and uniform shirt back on.

He confronted the eavesdroppers where they had been lurking at the locker room door.

"Gage, you have got to get another date with that girl!" Kelly could barely get the words out. Neither Lopez nor Stoker could say anything at all. Gage was nearly speechless as well.

"You guys . . . . " Shaking his fists, he stormed past them.

Shaking his head, Roy followed. Gage's latest date disaster was now a whole lot less funny.

Johnny sat sulking at the kitchen table, alone. Captain Stanley had gone to the refuge of his office. Roy dragged a chair out. It scraped loudly on the cement floor of the large room.

"I don't believe those guys." Gage stared forward, his face screwed up in silent, sulking outrage. Roy sat quietly, having nothing to say that wouldn't make the situation worse.

"I don't _believe_ those guys."

"Yeah."

Over in the kitchen area, the coffee pot gurgled. Roy sniffed.

"Coffee's ready."

Gage twitched, but otherwise didn't move. Roy got up, crossed the room to the pot and poured two fresh cups.

"You hungry?"

Gage twitched again. There was bread on the counter and he put some in the toaster. He looked in the fridge and got the margarine. He took one coffee mug and put it on the table next to Johnny.

"I don't want anything."

"Well, you've got to have something. You've barely had a cup of coffee today. If you don't have something you're going to be even more impossible than you are now." He went back to the toaster. He brought back the buttered slices on a small plate and set it down next to Gage who hunched over his half-empty coffee cup. He scowled down at the toast but picked up a piece and took a bite.

He was finishing the second slice when Marco, Chet and Mike slunk back into the dayroom. Chet still grinned hugely under his mustache but the other two looked maybe a little repentant though still grinning. Gage ignored them. Roy sat down next to him with his coffee. He hated the tension, but the only thing to do was ride it out. And not make it any worse.

Captain Stanley walked in with a clip board. He opened his mouth.

Oooooooeeeeeeee-mmmmaaaaahhhh - BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

"Squad Fifty-One. Man choking. At the diner. Eight-forty-Seven West Palm Boulevard. Time out, ten-fifty-five."

**- - - End Part 3**


	4. Chapter 4

**JOHNNY BE GOOD**

by ardavenport

**- - - Part 4**

The diner was only three minutes away. It was the only business open on the street, a few cars in the parking lot. A woman in a pastel yellow dress and white apron opened the door for them. The only people in the place were clustered around a booth. A cook with a large belly and a greasy apron called to them.

"Over here. Guy's choking to death."

The victim was propped up in the orange vinyl bench seat of a window booth. His mouth, wide open and gasping, was blue around the lips.

Gage put the oxygen tank down and slid into the seat next to the victim. "Could everyone give us some room here."

DeSoto pushed aside the plates of pancakes and hash browns and set the biophone and drug box on the table.

"I tried pounding on his back, but it didn't seem to do any good." The man in the apron still hovered too close. DeSoto waved him back.

Arms around the victims middle, Gage dragged him upright out of the booth, and thrust upward with his fist. Roy joined him as Gage kept jabbing upward.

"Aaaaaaaccckkkkk-aaaaaaaaaa-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicccckkkkkkkk!"

A huge pale blob fell from the man's mouth and rolled under the table.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh-aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"

The victim took a deep, gagging breath; Gage felt his chest expanding. Then immediately he coughed and the paramedics dragged him away from the booth to lay him on the checkered linoleum floor. He was a large balding man, at least sixty pounds heavier than Gage.

DeSoto had the biophone out and Gage started checking vital signs.

"Rampart, this is Squad Fifty-One."

"Eeeeh-eeeeech." The victim feebly tried to raise his hands.

"Sir, Sir." Gage turned the victims head toward him. "Sir, don't try to talk." He looked up. "What's his name?"

A woman with tinted curls and too much makeup called out. "Bennie." She stood next to the waitress who had let them in. He turned back to the victim.

"Bennie, don't try to talk. My name is John Gage. I'm a paramedic with the L.A. County Fire Department and this is my partner Roy DeSoto. We're going to take good care of you, but we need you to stay quiet and don't try to talk."

Bennie nodded fearfully and Gage dragged the oxygen tank over, attached the mask to the hose and put it over Bennie's face before taking his wrist for his pulse. He passed the pulse and respiration on to Roy, then reached over for the blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around the man's upper arm.

"Uh, Sir, Ma'am." Both the waitress and cook looked at Roy. "Can you tell us how long he was choking?"

The waitress answered right away.

"Oh, only a few minutes; you guys got here really fast." The tinted curls woman nodded vigorous agreement.

"Do you know what that thing was?"

"It was a grapefruit."

Roy stared at the woman with tinted curls. She popped her gum back at him.

"A grapefruit?"

Johnny took the stethoscope out of his ears and looked up at the people around them. "A grapefruit? A whole one?"

"Yep."

"He's always been bragging about what a big mouth he has, so we took him up on his bet this time." The waitress gestured to the cook. "So, Norm here got him a grapefruit." Johnny passed on the BP to Roy for the hospital while she continued the story. "Bennie peeled it. And he put it partway in his mouth and then sort of sucked all the juices out of it until it was small and then he tried to swallow it. That's when we called you."

Roy looked up from the biophone. "Has anyone called an ambulance?"

The waitress nodded. "Oh, yeah, we already called them. The guy on the fire department line said we should do that."

Bennie was stable and he did not lose consciousness though his vital signs were understandably panicked. The ambulance arrived a few minutes later. Norm, the cook, graciously told Bennie on their way out that he didn't have to pay for the breakfast he didn't eat.

When they got to Rampart General Doctor Morton took him in treatment room three. They went to the base station desk.

"Hey, how are you two doing?" Dixie McCall looked up from her clipboard with a smile. They both automatically smiled back. "How's your morning?"

"Oh, not too bad. But Johnny got a late start this morning."

Gage tensed up, but Roy moved on from the potentially sensitive subject.

"How are things here?"

"Relatively quiet. A lot of hangovers. I hear it was gang-busters last night."

"Yeah the last shift was pretty busy at the station. I'm glad we missed it." After some more minor chat the paramedics moved on to collect some supplies. On their way back to the squad Roy suggested that they have lunch at the hospital. Gage grumbled his agreement.

Johnny perked up a little at a couple of pretty young nurses at a nearby table, but he didn't try to flirt. Roy knew that was a bad sign. They finished their sandwiches and soup without any interruptions and then went back to the station. The fire engine was gone. Roy checked the log book.

"Traffic accident. Almost forty minutes ago."

In the dayroom they found everything set up for lunch, but no food on the table and an abandoned pot of chowder on the stove with the heat turned off. After looking around they went back out to the squad to sort out their supplies. They were finished and waiting again in the dayroom when the others finally came back.

"Hi guys. Looks like you had a long run."

Roy greeted the returning firefighters while Gage ignored them from where he sulked, stretched out on the couch.

"Oh don't you know it." Chet Kelly stopped while the other three went to the kitchen.

"Let's have some chow; I'm starved." Stanley clapped his hands together and rubbed them before turning the heat on the stove.

"Double traffic accidents, Roy. A half a block away from the first call, a drunk runs a red light and almost runs right into us. Then he clips a light pole and a hydrant. We had to run back and forth between the two of them."

"Oh. Sounds serious." From the corner of his eye, Roy saw Johnny turn to look when Chet mentioned the drunk almost hitting the engine. "Were there any injuries?"

"Just a lot of bruises on the first one. They sent Squad Forty-Five to fill in for you. But the drunk refused treatment because he didn't want anyone giving him a blood test. He wasn't really hurt either. But I think the cops took him to Rampart anyway. What did you guys have?"

Roy smiled. "Would you believe a guy tried to swallow a whole, peeled grapefruit?"

"You're kidding?!"

"Nope."

"How'd he do that?"

Stanley called out from the stove. "Roy, Johnny, there's plenty here soon as we get it heated up."

"Uh, thanks Cap, but we ate at the hospital."

"Oh, 'Johnny Be Good' over there doesn't want to join us anymore?"

"Kelly." Stanley did not look up when he spoke but the word shut Kelly up. He shrugged and went back to the table. Roy joined them and nibbled on some buttered bread, while Johnny remained on the couch.

He didn't join them until after the meal and Captain Stanley retrieved his clipboard from his office. There was a list of fire inspections for their next shift and a new warehouse opening. Most of the afternoon was spent with routine chores around the fire station. The post-New Year's Eve crises seemed to have abated. They didn't get another call until after dinner. A kitchen grease fire. Someone had set their oven on fire with the grease from a roast duck. The fire was quickly put out, but the cook and her husband burned their hands and arms. First and second degree burns only but very painful. DeSoto went with the couple in the ambulance to Rampart while Gage drove the squad in behind them.

Roy was already waiting for him in the hall and they walked down to the base station to replace the supplies they'd used on the run. Doctor Early and Nurse McCall were at the desk.

"Hi. Doesn't look too busy here." Gage joined them while DeSoto went to the supply cabinet and drawers.

Dixie looked up and smiled. "Yeah, it's been quiet all day. Looks like they got all their partying done last night."

"Yeah, another New Year's eve has come and gone. Thank goodness." Gage leaned on the counter next to them.

Doctor Early looked up at Johnny. He snorted and looked down again, covering up a sudden laugh.

"What? What's so funny?"

Now Roy looked curiously at Early.

So did Dixie. "Yeah, what is it, Joe?"

"Oh, um, nothing, just something Ducat and Benton said about you having an interesting New Year's yourself." Early kept his mouth shut tight over the next laugh, but it was obvious in his eyes.

Gage stared at him for a moment. "No. . . . They _didn't_."

DeSoto looked back and forth between them. "Didn't what?"

"The traffic accident! Forty-five filled in for us! They must have been standing around waiting on that drunk and they _told_ them."

"Oh. Uh, Doc, what did they say?"

"Not much really." He turned back to Johnny. "But I understand your date last night was quite an artist." He held back another laugh.

"They _didn't._" Gage looked stricken. "Well, how many other people did they tell?"

"I don't know. But I don't think they were here for very long."

"Hi Johnny!"

Whirling around, Gage saw a pair of nurses in white caps and knee-length white dresses. The one grinning at him was young, single, pretty, blue-eyed with chestnut curls.

And she had turned him down for a date twice.

Gage felt like his elevator had suddenly dropped to the basement. Then he got mad. "I don't _believe_ those guys!" He waved his hands in outrage. Then, throwing them down to his sides he turned around in place. He couldn't do anything about it now. It would be all over the hospital in no time. If it wasn't already.

"Uh, Dix, could you sign us out on these?" She turned to Roy holding a box of supplies.

"Oh, ah, sure."

The pathetic look on Gage's face seemed to have turned Early somewhat more serious. "I wouldn't worry about. It'll blow over and people will forget about it in no time." But even Early didn't sound like he believed that.

"Come on." Box of supplies in one hand, Roy collected his partner with the other and they left.

**- - - End Part 4**


	5. Chapter 5

**JOHNNY BE GOOD**

by ardavenport

**- - - Part 5**

Doctor Early watched the two paramedics disappear around the corner down the hall. When he turned around, he faced Dixie McCall's implacable stare.

"Come on, Joe, give. What did Benton and Ducat tell you?"

"Well, it's . . . a little hard to say."

"Try."

Doctor Brackett came around the corner and headed for the coffee pot. He poured himself a cup and then noticed the postures of the two people already at the base station.

"Dix, Joe, what's going on?"

"Joe here heard a funny story about Johnny Gage's New Year, but the cat seems to have gotten his tongue now."

"Really?" Brackett sipped his coffee. "Well, where'd you hear it from?"

"Squad Forty-Five. They filled in for Fifty-One on a drunk driver today and they heard it from the other guys at the station."

Dixie put a hand on her hip. "Well, what was it?"

Early shrugged. "Well, Johnny's neighbor fixed him up with a blind date for New Year's. She was apparently some kind of artist. But Johnny's been working a lot of extra shifts over the holidays and he must have been tired because he fell asleep on his neighbor's couch after one drink. He barely got into work on time. But he found out when he was changing that his date had decorated his back with a little artwork while he was asleep."

"Oh really?" Dixie folded her arms before her. "What was it?"

"It was a Christmas wreath with 'Johnny Be Good' in the middle and a comment about how he probably had a nice personality."

Brackett lowered his coffee cup. "Well, that doesn't sound so bad."

"It is when she finished it off by writing 'Where No Woman Has Gone Before' on his ass. And she put a frowning smilie face on each butt cheek." Early couldn't help grinning again.

Dixie's eyes widened. "You're kidding?!"

Brackett stood speechless for a moment before smiling. "Well, I'd say that's a bad date, even by Johnny Gage's standards." He chuckled and took another sip of coffee. Brackett was not too sympathetic over the paramedic's plight. He had once been stuck for a couple days in quarantine with Gage during which time the younger man had hit on every single, attractive nurse who walked through the door.

Dixie shook her head. "Well, I don't know if I should feel sorry for him or just laugh hysterically."

They all turned when the biophone receiver at the base station buzzed. It was Squad Forty-Five. They had an emergency.

**- - - End Part 5**


	6. Chapter 6

**JOHNNY BE GOOD**

by ardavenport

**- - - Part 6**

"It was Chet. It was Chet and his big fat mouth."

In the passenger seat, Gage ranted while Roy drove the Squad back to the station. It wasn't late, but it was dark already. The roads were still empty, practically abandoned by L.A. standards, now lit by streetlights.

"I doubt that it was just Chet who was talking. Marco and Mike were there, too."

"Yeah, but you know he had to have started it, Roy."

That was probably true.

Gage continued to seethe. What could he do? The damage was done. "I'm going to be 'Johnny Be Good' at Rampart for months now."

"If you ever get rid of that name."

"Oh thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Just being realistic."

Gage touched his lower back. 'Johnny Be Good' wasn't so bad. It the rest of it that was the problem. The rest of it . . . .

Something clicked. He sat still and let the idea come out.

Roy looked at him suspiciously.

"What?"

"Y'know what? I'm going to take Chet's advice. That's what I'm going to do." His lips curled upward as the through formed. He felt his back again.

"What? What advice? Chet didn't give you any advice about this."

"Yes he did. He said I should get another date with this girl. And that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to call Jean's bluff."

"Jean? Who's Jean?"

"Jean! My date last night!"

"Oh. Well you never mentioned her name." Then Roy's thoughts caught up to what Johnny had just said. "Wait, you're going to ask her for another date?!" This sounded like a spectacularly bad idea, even for Johnny.

"Well, why not? She wrote it right here," he pointed at his back, "that I should contact her if I want a date. I think I'll take her up on it."

"So, she can write 'Where No Woman Has Gone Before' on your forehead next time?"

"She's not going to do that. At least, I'm not going to give her the chance." He frowned at the possibility. "But don't you see, Roy? Chet's not the problem. _She_ is. She started it. Confronting her about it is the only chance I have of clearing my name."

Whatever convoluted logic that Johnny Gage was using this time was beyond him. He stopped arguing and just drove the squad back to the station.

Gage's enthusiasm for his new idea was only slightly dimmed by the negative reactions he got from the others. Captain Stanley told him he was insane. Lopez and Stoker thought he was being brave. Crazy but brave. Only Chet Kelly agreed that Johnny should try to get another date with Jean. Roy thought that this alone should have gotten through to Johnny that this was a really bad idea, but it didn't. In the end, Roy just accepted that Johnny was going to do what Johnny would do.

They didn't discuss it anymore for the rest of the shift.

**- - - End Part 6**


	7. Chapter 7

**JOHNNY BE GOOD**

by ardavenport

**- - - Part 7**

Johnny arrived at the station house in plenty of time to get changed for the next shift. He greeted everyone in the usual cheerful way. Slowly lacing his boots, Roy suspiciously watched him as he changed his shirt (the artwork on his back was gone, scrubbed off ) and then buttoned his blue uniform shirt. But Johnny maddeningly did nothing unusual.

"Well, how did it go?"

"Hmm?" Gage looked up from pinning his badge on. "How did what go?"

Roy seriously wondered if Johnny wasn't just trying to annoy him by playing innocent. "Jean? Your New Year's date? Laverne's friend?"

"Oh. Jeeeeeaaannn."

Now Roy was sure that Johnny was just playing innocent.

"It went fine." He turned to toss his mustard yellow shirt back in his locker.

"Fine? Is that all? Fine? Fine? I mean, did you actually go out on another date with her?"

Johnny closed his locker. "Well, not exactly."

"Not exactly? Not exactly?" Roy turned as Johnny walked past him out of the locker room. "It was fine, but not exactly?" He closed his own locker as he pursued his partner. "What happened?"

"Well, it turns out that Jean is moving into my apartment building. The empty one down the hall. She and her roommate, Sheila. That was one of the reasons why she was at the party. She'd been moving some stuff in earlier."

"She's going to be your neighbor? Jean?"

"Yeah. I helped her move her couch the other day."

Gage casually walked into the dayroom and greeted the other A-shift men with his stunned partner following. What had happened to the outrage? The humiliation? The embarrassment?

"Who's couch did you move?" Chet leaned on the counter next to the coffee pot as they approached.

"Jean's."

"Who?"

"Jean. My New Year's date."

DeSoto was grateful to see the surprised look on Kelly's face. He wasn't the only who found Johnny's calm freakish.

"You actually went out on a date with her?"

"Not a date, Chet. But we talked." He poured himself a cup of coffee. "And we had a very constructive conversation." He leaned on the counter and took a sip.

The mention of Jean attracted the attention of the other firefighters in the room and they wandered over.

Lopez grinned. "Did she write it down anywhere?"

"No, she didn't Marco."

"Well, what happened then?" Roy grabbed the coffee pot. "From the beginning."

"Well, the next morning I went and talked to Laverne. And I admit that I was a little thrown when I found out that Jean was going to be living just down the hall. But I recovered nicely and we went down the hall and Laverne introduced us, again, and Jean and I went out for a cup of coffee and we had a long talk."

"So, you bought her a cup of coffee? You really know how to splurge on a second date, Gage."

"It wasn't a date, Chet. And she wouldn't let me pay for hers. Which is okay. A lot of women do that these days. And it wasn't a date anyway."

"So, what did you talk about?" Roy said over his cup.

"Well. . . . there was a lot about appearances. Now she - - very rightfully - - pointed out that I didn't exactly make a good impression at Laverne's party the other night. I have to admit that I wasn't too keen on going in the first place. And I'd just been hanging around my place all day. I didn't do anything special to get ready. And then when I got there, I was a little - - y'know - - dismissive about the way she looked."

"Falling asleep on the couch probably didn't make a good impression, either, pal."

Gage nodded, accepting the captain's comment. "Well, anyway, she had a valid point. Why should she spend two hours primping and getting ready when I'm just going to slouch across the hallway in a pair of jeans?"

"I don't know why any woman should spend two hours getting ready if they were just going to get stuck with you, Gage."

He sneered at Chet before continuing. "Well, she apologized for getting a little drunk and going sort of crazy drawing on my back. She said that a little baby oil might help take it off."

"Did she help with that?"

Chet got another sneer.

"Anyway, we mutually agreed that neither one of were on our A-game, so just to clear things between us, we should try it again, except properly this time. So, tomorrow night, we're both going to dress properly - - nothing too fancy, just nice - - and she's going to take me out to dinner. To apologize to for - - y'know - - writing on my back."

"You're letting _her_ buy _you_ dinner. For a date?"

"It's not a date, Chet. Now we went over it and agreed. She's not my type and I'm not hers. Which is fine. I'm fine with that," he put his hand on his chest, "she's fine with it." Gage looked at all the incredulous faces around him. "Hey, I can be a very enlightened guy here."

"Enlightened. . . . light-headed is more like it." Chet sauntered back to the kitchen table to sit down. The others followed him except for Roy, leaning against the counter next to Johnny and wondering why he didn't believe what he had just heard.

"Well, she's going to be my neighbor, Roy. There's no reason why we be civil about things."

Roy shook his head. It so calm and rational - - two words that rarely applied to Johnny Gage's personal life. He shrugged. "Well, okay. I guess you want to be a good neighbor." He even managed an uncertain smile. This was too simple. Too easy. There had to be something about to go wrong somewhere. There was something he was missing. But. . . . . it just wasn't his place to object. It was Johnny's life, not his. They went to sit with the others at the kitchen table. The C-shift had left some day-old donuts. Stale, but still edible.

Most of the morning was taken up with equipment checks and fire code inspections outside the station. They didn't get a run until halfway through lunch.

Man on a ledge.

It was actually a construction site for a ten story office building. There were two police cars and a lot of sour-looking construction workers standing around. When they got there and scanned the skyline there were two figures on the girders of the half-built roof against the cloudless blue sky. As they stopped, a sheriff's deputy and a man in work clothes and a yellow hard hat ran up to the engine.

Captain Stanley climbed down from the cab. "What've you got here?"

"One of my men went crazy! Started attacking people. Had to send two of them to the hospital with busted noses. Then he climbs up there and threatens to jump. Shut down the whole job!"

Stanley squinted skyward. "Which one?" Gage and DeSoto joined them and looked upward as well.

"Guy on the left. Name's Sam Granger, but we just call him Tex. He's been working for me for about six months. Never had any trouble with him until now."

"What about the one on the right?" DeSoto pointed.

"That's Ray Cloud. He's been trying to talk Tex down. Crazy Indian." The foreman scowled. "Tex threatened to take anyone else over the side if they didn't get out or tried to stop him. But Ray just stayed up there with him. But there aren't any heights that bother that guy. He worked on the World Trade Center. There isn't a building we'd put up around here that would ruffle his feathers."

"Vince, have any of you tried to talk him down?"

Officer Howard shook his head. "Not up there. We don't carry climbing gear."

"Gage, DeSoto, break out the lines and life belts."

"Right away, Cap."

They collected their equipment from the squad. DeSoto and Gage clipped on their safety belts as they went up with Stanley and Kelly in the bare metal construction elevator. It rattled to a stop at the top floor. Bright blue sky stretched out over the unfinished roof. They made their way over cables and toolboxes and loose plates and beams, past open sections to the floors below. At one edge was a ladder up to the steel girder that would support the roof. They tied a rope to Gage's belt.

The four firefighters looked up at the two men. The one called Tex was tall and broad-shouldered in a white work shirt. A light breeze tousled his longish dirty blond hair as he looked over his shoulder and squinted down at them. Johnny froze on the ladder under his stare, but he couldn't read anything from that brief hard look. Tex was at most thirty with a heavy, drooping mustache.

He continued climbing; Roy steadied the ladder while Chet and the Captain minded his line. There was a sturdy steel upright, a thin safety line tied to it and running the length of the girder. The smoggy horizon of low L.A. buildings and pale gray concrete seemed far away and far below them.

"They're coming for you, Tex. Looks like you're going to have to decide." Gage stood behind Tex on the wide girder while Ray Cloud faced him, out of arm's reach. Cloud was also broad-shouldered, but shorter than Tex. His long black hair tied back, he looked anywhere between twenty-five and forty-five. And his dark eyes never left Tex. Both men wore safety belts but they weren't attached to anything.

"Now, nobody's coming after anyone. We just came up here to talk." He inched a little closer. Tex was maybe twenty feet away from him.

"You just don't give up, Chief.

"I keep telling you, Tex. I ain't no chief."

Hand on the thin safety line, Gage inched a little closer. Falling to the right was ten stories down to the pavement. Falling to the left was less than ten feet with Stanley and Kelly there to catch them. But falling at all was still only a dangerous last resort.

Gage inched closer.

Tex took a quick glance behind him. His arm shot up.

"Don't you get any closer!" Crouching, his other arm came up. "Get back, both of you!"

Cloud looked disappointed, but he took a step back. He moved casually, as if he were on solid ground, not the edge of a precipice.

"All right, all right." Gage held up his hands and cautiously backed up. "Looks like you two have been talking about some things here."

Cloud said nothing. The man in the middle kept looking from Gage to Cloud.

"We don't need you here fireman. This isn't any of your business."

Gage shrugged. "Well, you've got everyone down there watching, waiting for you to make a move. One way or another. I don't have anywhere else to go."

Tex glared at him. Gage knew then that he wasn't serious about jumping. But he could still get serious about falling.

"You don't actually have to tell me anything. It doesn't matter to me." Gage started to gesture and then hastily stopped after a careless glance over the side. He minimally pointed. "We could just go down there and discuss it. But you don't have to say anything if you don't want."

Tex smiled humorlessly. "Wanna know why I'm up here, fireman? I thought I'd save some of the guys the trouble. 'Cause there's no way in hell I'd let any of those rattlesnakes push me."

"The foreman told us that he sent a couple men to the hospital with broken noses."

Tex's smiled turned to satisfaction. "Good."

"So, why'd they want to push you, Tex?"

"For the same reason my own daddy would put a bullet in my head if I ever showed up on his doorstep again." He looked out toward the horizon, a hard concrete ground a hundred feet below. "Thought I'd get a fresh start in Southern California. . . . . never thought I'd ever take up with anybody . . . . " He narrowed his eyes at Gage. "I been sleeping with a man, fireman. You still all that eager for me to come over there?"

Gage narrowed his eyes back at him. "Actually, I'd rather you come down this ladder here. We can all talk about it down there."

Tex did not look like he believed him. "You sure about that? Why don't I just come over there and give you a big ol' hug? How 'bout a nice sloppy kiss?"

Keep him talking. Keep him talking. "Fine. If you want to come down there for it. Sure."

Obviously surprised, Tex did not reply. Behind him, Ray Cloud silently watched.

"What's his name?"

"What?"

"You said you were sleeping with a man. I guess it's somebody special to you. What's his name?"

"What do you care?"

Gage shrugged. "Well, if you fall, I guess . . . . somebody ought to tell him what happened."

"I'll do that if you want, Tex." They both looked at Cloud. "But. . . . it'll be hard for him. You told me those guys beat him up. But. . . . news like that, " he shook his head slowly, "really hurts."

Tex bit his lip under his heavy mustache.

"So, what's his name?"

He glared at Gage and made his decision. "You ain't gonna need his name, fireman."

Johnny backed up, just past the ladder to let Tex climb down first. And then he gestured to Cloud to go next. The older man looked a little amused as strolled forward and stepped down on the top rungs of the ladder. Sighing with relief, Gage went last, climbing down from the heights.

Now safely on the partially finished lower floor, they looked at each other. Four firemen. Two construction workers. What next?

"Guess I'll have talk to the cops." Tex didn't look at anyone as he mumbled. DeSoto helped Gage untie the line from his belt.

Stanley gestured toward the elevator. "This way, Sir."

"Would have been simpler, just quitting the job, Tex." The two construction workers walked in the middle of the group.

"Tsss." Tex scowled, but said nothing else. They descended in silence and when they reached the bottom the cops were waiting to talk to Tex.

"Hey." Cloud, who had started to walk away, turned to look at Gage. "That was a pretty brave thing you did, staying up there to talk to him."

"I've seen men fall. I don't like it."

Roy stepped forward. "Still, you probably saved his life. Do you know him?"

Cloud shrugged back. "Not really. Just enough to speak to on the job." Then he smiled at the paramedics' obvious surprise. "Beside, Tex was standing between me and the ladder." With a wave and a little smile, he moved off.

Johnny and Roy walked back to the squad. The other firemen were already climbing into the engine.

"Hey." Johnny pointed to where the foreman was yelling in the group of police with Tex. "Do you think he's going to be okay?"

"Well, he's probably going to get fired."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "I don't think he's going to miss that job."

"Nope."

They got into the squad and left the scene.

**- - - End Part 7**


	8. Chapter 8

**JOHNNY BE GOOD**

by ardavenport

**- - - Part 8**

At the beginning of their next shift, Johnny was already at the station when Roy walked into the locker room.

"Hey Johnny."

Roy's smile faded when he got a sullen glower in response. Fully dressed in his uniform, Gage sat on the bench before his locker.

"Uuuuuuh, how was the date?" He started to unbutton his shirt.

Gage scowled. "It wasn't a date."

"Oh, yeah, right. I forgot. So . . . . looks like it didn't go so well." Roy took his regular shirt off, put it in the locker and took out a fresh, blue uniform shirt.

"Not exactly."

Surprisingly, Gage's tone wasn't nearly as glum as usual after a date disaster. Roy took off his jeans and shoes, put those away and took out his uniform pants.

"So, what does that mean? What happened?"

"Well, I showed up at her place at seven."

"You walked down the hall." Roy buttoned his shirt.

"I was wearing nice clothes. Shined my shoes, Combed my hair. Had on a jacket."

"Well, what about her?"

"She looked good, too. Nice dress, shoes. Her hair was done. Make-up. She was still wearing the glasses, but she's got to be able to see things. I can't knock her for that, right?" Gage held up his hands for confirmation. Roy had no idea why he would need it.

"No, I guess not. So, what happened?"

Gage sighed. "Her parents took us out to dinner. And her roommate, Sheila."

"Her parents? Uh. . . . her parents? You said this wasn't a date, right?"

"Oh yeah. Absolutely not a date." He broadly gestured his affirmative.

"Okay. . . . so how were Jean's parents?"

Gage stood up. "Great. They're nice people. They've been in the area visiting from Missouri. And they were really happy to see me." He rolled his eyes.

"But, this wasn't a date?"

"Oh no. No, no, no, no. . . . not a date. Not even close."

"Okay. . . ." Roy took his badge out of his locker and pinned it on his shirt. "So, what was it then?"

Gage sighed again, put his foot on the bench and leaned forward on his knee. "Y'know when I said that Jean and I weren't each other's type? Well, I found out why I'm not her type."

"Okay . . . ." Roy pinned on his name tag. "Why?"

Johnny took a few seconds to find the right words. "Because. . . . I'm a man."

Roy stood there, baffled. A man? What could that mean? Did it mean that nobody was Jean's type?

Gage waited patiently while his partner pieced together what he meant. Roy's mouth formed an 'oh'.

"Oh . . . . you mean. Jean doesn't like . . . . men."

Gage snapped his fingers forward. "Exactly."

Looking a little stunned, Roy sat down and put his boots on. Then he looked up. "So, why did she want you to meet her parents?"

"Roy, she wanted cover. See, she's out here in LA, where her parents think that half the people on the streets are weird Hollywood types and the other half are drug addicts. And I guess some of Jean's artist friends had them a little worried. And it was their last night in town so they were really happy to see their baby girl going out with someone who looked halfway normal by their standards."

The story still didn't make sense to Roy.

"But why did Laverne fix you up with her for New Year's eve in the first place?"

"She didn't know then. She knows now, and it's no big deal with her. But before the party, she thought she'd get Jean a date since. Jean just wanted an excuse to not spend New Year's in San Diego at her father's cousin's place."

"Hmmm." Roy put one foot up on the bench to tie his shoe laces. "That's kind of unfair, her not telling you about . . . herself before she dragged you off to a dinner with her parents."

"Yeah." Gage looked thoughtful. "But she sounded so desperate when she took me aside before we went to the restaurant. And well, her parents were nice, but they didn't strike me as the kind of people who would take. . . . that kind of news really well. Might even be a little hostile about it. I really didn't have the heart to say no." He gave Roy a long look.

He lowered his eyes. "Yeah, I guess you couldn't say no." There were things that Roy didn't particularly think were natural, and that he was pretty uncomfortable contemplating, but. . . . he was sure it wasn't right to hate or attack them either.

Gage stood, breaking the seriousness of the moment. "Anyway, it all worked out. They're happy and flying back to Missouri today. In fact they told Jean that they'd pay for her to fly out to see them the next time they want to visit. They're not big fans of big cities."

"And the dinner went fine?"

"Oh great. In fact," Gage turned and reached into his open locker, "I even have pictures. Her mother got one of those instant cameras for the trip and she sort of went crazy with it."

Roy finished his shoelaces and accepted the photos. They were of people, a dark restaurant interior behind them.

Five people together. An older couple, Johnny and two women, one tall and one short with glasses.

Johnny and the short woman together. The top of her head barely came up to Johnny's shoulders. She wore round wire-framed glasses, had curly dark auburn hair, a small mouth and square face.

"This is Jean?"

Gage nodded. Roy looked again. Jean clearly had inherited her father's stern-faced, square-jawed looks.

Jean and the tall woman together. The tall one had short blond hair, nicely styled around her pretty face. She had a shapely, slender figure under a pink turtleneck sweater and dark blue pants and jacket.

"Is this Sheila?"

"Yep."

"She's real pretty."

"Yeeeeah."

Roy heard Gage sigh a little too long. Suddenly, that missing piece that had been nagging him a few days ago fell into place.

"That's the real reason why you agreed to go to dinner with Jean in the first place. You wanted to hit on Sheila."

"Roy! I'm surprised you would think that of me. Really, am I that shallow?"

"Yes."

Gage took the pictures back, but his sulking expression told Roy that he was right.

"I guess you might have avoided this whole business if Laverne had fixed you up with Sheila for New Year's instead of Jean in the first place."

"Roy, Sheila was at that party, too. Laverne fixed her up with someone else. And I probably would have been in the same place even if I'd had a date with Sheila anyway."

"What? Has Sheila already turned you down?"

"Roy." Gage looked at his partner with a pained expression. "Jean and Sheila. . . . . they're not just roommates."

His mouth formed another 'oh' of comprehension.

"Yeah, I was the fifth wheel at that dinner. Except Jean's parents didn't know it." Johnny stepped over the bench.

"Well . . . I guess you won't be seeing much of Jean from now on at least."

Gage shrugged. They headed out of the locker room.

"Oh, I guess Jean's not so bad to go out for coffee with. She did apologize for the dinner with her parents after they left." Gage stopped outside the doorway into the dayroom. "But you know what I found out about Jean and me?"

Roy opened his mouth, unable to think of what that could possibly be. "No."

"We've got the same taste in women."

Dumbfounded, Roy shook his head. "I don't even want to think about it."

They went into the dayroom.

The guys were sitting around the kitchen table upon which sat a glass vase of flowers. Sunny yellows, reds with orange centers and stalks of blue bell blooms.

"Gage, you have an admirer." Stanley leaned back, holding up a card. Johnny took it. On the front was a hand-drawn Christmas wreath around the words 'Johnny Be Good'.

"Came with a big box of chocolates, too." Stanley pointed to a gold box with a red ribbon around it. "I've been holding these vultures back until you get first pick."

Johnny opened the card while Roy peered over his shoulder.

'Sorry about New Year's.

Thanks for the rescue and thanks for being a REAL MAN.

Jean'

"Well, I'm not sure that's real. I wouldn't put it past Gage to send those himself."

"Looks real to me, Chet. I recognize the artwork." Stanley looked up. "So, you going to ask her out again, John?"

"No, I don't think so, Cap."

"What?" Marco and the others looked surprised. "But you've got her eating out of your hand."

Gage looked at the card with a big, crooked grin.

"Nyah. She's not my type."

* * *

**%%% END %%%**

**Disclaimer:** All characters belong to Mark VII Productions, Inc., Universal Studios and whoever else owns the 1970's TV show Emergency!; I am just playing in their sandbox.


End file.
